Chapter 177
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 177
Prologue
From his post atop the watchtower, the soldier gazed down at the mountainside, where a swarm of monsters teemed below.
"Damn bastards."
Normally, it was rare for monsters from the mountain range to cross onto the mountainside—it happened maybe once a month, at most. He recalled that just a few days ago, that was still the case.
"Reporting, sir! The count on the mountainside is forty-one. We estimate eleven trolls and fifteen snow wolves. The rest are too small to identify from this distance."
"Keep watching. If any of them approach the wall, report immediately."
Come to think of it, yesterday there had been twenty-nine.
Not only was this happening day after day, but their numbers were growing. A dark shadow fell over the soldier's face. He knew because he spent his days staring at the edge of that mountain range.
Tomorrow, there would be more.
The day after, even more.
And the day after that, more still.
It had been like this ever since the fall of Riaze.
News of the capital's fall had spread across the Empire in a single day, plunging lords everywhere into an unprecedented panic. In the chaos, most of them chose to lock their gates and sever all contact with the outside world. As a result, the Empire had lost most of its function as a nation and was barely holding itself together.
"I just hope those monster bastards don't decide to invade during the winter."
Perhaps the monsters had heard the news as well, because they refused to miss this opportunity. A few days ago, over forty of them had suddenly scaled the walls in a night raid. That incident had caused significant casualties—probably as many as the monster corpses they left behind.
From now on, they would have to endure the winter just like this.
"What's going to happen to us?" the soldier asked the sentry next to him.
Originally, here in the northern Count's territory, only one sentry was assigned to each watchtower. But ever since the monsters’ movements had grown more active, they had been stationed in pairs.
"How should I know?"
The other soldier, who had been silently staring toward the mountain range, had a face just as grim.
"We can only leave it to the heavens."
"You know, there's a rumor the Lord's favored head maid supposedly heard herself. Word among the nobles is that His Majesty the Emperor survived."
"I heard that, too. They say the two Heroes also managed to survive that chaos somehow."
"Exactly. So if we can just hold out through this winter, won't the country regain its stability?"
"What nonsense. How could it stabilize so easily with things in such a mess?"
"...You're too realistic. Let's try to be a little more positive."
Yes, positive. If they didn't force themselves to look on the bright side, they wouldn't be able to endure this. If there was any silver lining, it was that this northern region had suffered relatively little damage. He’d heard the area around Riaze was now a complete den of monsters. Compared to that, this Count's territory could be considered a paradise.
"So, you should also..."
"L-Look over there."
The sentry beside him had frozen mid-sentence.
The soldier turned his gaze back to the mountainside—and gasped in horror.
In the mere tens of seconds he had looked away, over a hundred monsters were now descending the mountain.
A hundred? No, hundreds. It looked like every single monster hidden in that small mountain range was pouring out at once.
Hundreds of them.
"Emergency! Emergency! A horde of monsters is invading!" the soldier screamed.
He yelled into the magic tool on the watchtower, and his voice immediately echoed all the way to the defense captain's post.
Behind him, he heard the sounds of urgent reports being exchanged. Archers, having hurriedly grabbed their bows, ran panting toward the wall. A few soldiers who had been resting in the distance scrambled to gather their weapons.
Why so suddenly? And so many?
Faced with this unprecedented situation, the soldier looked back at the mountain range. There was no mistake. Every monster living in those mountains was rushing down like a tidal wave.
"..."
They were scrambling, as if fleeing from something.
They're not invading...
Every monster in the mountain range was running for its life.
Only then did the soldier notice that the distant sky had turned dark.
Darkness was shrouding the mountain. To be precise, a massive shadow was covering more than half of it.
"What is that..." the sentry next to him muttered, completely overwhelmed by the massive entity.
"It's a turtle," the soldier muttered in a daze, staring blankly at the shape.
It was a legendary monster that floated through the sky, its body massive enough to cover the heavens, migrating south to the continent once every decade.
"...The turtle has come down."
Winter was coming.
Phase. 1
Winter was coming.
Stepping out into Room 1 for the first time in a while, Patrick felt a cold wind whip through the gaps in his armor. Since he had no body heat, his breath didn't fog, but the bone-chilling air alone was enough to tell him that autumn was ending.
"The air is exceptionally chilly," Patrick muttered to himself, savoring the change of seasons. "Quite a lot has happened this year."
Rene running away, Erebos's raid, the annihilation of Knecht, and even the war with Kurak.
All of it had occurred in less than half a year. That was why Patrick welcomed this winter. Didn't it mean they had finally wrapped up all those major events?
While winter was a harsh ordeal for both humans and monsters, for the Primordial Core, it was a season of reward—a time to let the days pass without much trouble.
Yes, the fruit of their hard work.
A season like the fruit of a tree.
...The fruit of a tree.
...The fruit of their hard work.
Patrick turned and looked back inside the cave.
"Haha, well."
A hollow, dumbfounded laugh escaped him.
"The fruit is hollow."
There was nothing in Room 1, which should have been filled with the warmth of monsters. He had wondered why the air was so chilly, and it seemed the source of the cold was the dungeon itself.
"Uh, let's see."
They had certainly made an effort to recruit monsters recently. Even Swallow had personally stepped up. He recalled them smashing Knecht to pieces just to secure some forces before winter arrived. So, what did they have to show for it?
A Golem, a Melju, and two Ounce...
While all three were excellent acquisitions, they had only managed to recruit three types when they needed to gather hundreds of bodies.
"...We'll have to fill it up," Patrick muttered, as if making a promise to himself.
Riaze had fallen. Numerous nations were beginning to make their moves. With humans likely to swarm in at any moment, they had to at least pretend to be a proper dungeon. Besides, considering the positions of the Golem and Melju, wouldn't it be far more advantageous in battle to give them a few grunts to command rather than having them guard their rooms alone?
Time is really running out.
If there was any saving grace, it was that the Yakshas had contacted them a few days ago. Patrick had also summoned the Leprechaun Merchant Guild to the Primordial Core to escort them. He preferred not to use mercenaries hired with money because of their low loyalty, but the situation was what it was. He had to fill the dungeon, even if it meant using the merchant guild.
Since the administrators of each room are reliable, we should be able to hold them off somehow, even if humans do come.
In Knecht, they had been utterly obliterated without a fight because their opponent happened to be Swallow, but the Yakshas were monsters with a notorious reputation even on the Eastern Continent. Since they were sending the two strongest among them, their skills were more or less guaranteed.
However, there was one thing to worry about...
"The strong Yaksha sisters..."
'Strong' wasn't a problem. 'Yaksha' wasn't a problem either.
Sisters.
Two females.
Led by instinct, he walked over to a hidden path at the three-way fork and found Rene.
"...Oh, Patrick. You're here."
An incomparably chilly smile welcomed him.
It was so cold that, for a moment, her image overlapped with Swallow's. If her voice were written on paper, the letters would surely be slanted and sharp. It felt like a necromancer infusing a curse into a Power Word.
"Rene has absolutely no worries. See? I'm full of energy."
I haven't even said anything yet.
The chill in her words made Patrick's jaw rattle involuntarily.
Rene was boiling something in her favorite giant pot. The bubbling sound and the rattling of his jaw fell out of sync, creating a strange rhythm.
"Right? Don't you think it's too much, Patrick?"
I didn't say anything that time either.
It seemed Rene was hearing things. She had clearly said his name, yet her gaze was fixed on the cave wall. Was there another Patrick over there, one that even he didn't know about? One only visible to good monsters, and thus invisible to his own two empty eye sockets? If so, Patrick silently wished him the best of luck.
"Um, Miss Rene. Are you alright?"
"Rene is absolutely... fine."
She used 'absolutely.' She's definitely not fine.
"Rene also welcomes new comrades. It's just... my chest feels so heavy. I don't even know why."
"If you want me to tell you the reason..."
"Sisters! That's just too much!"
"You know exactly why!"
"How could he bring in two females while leaving Rene behind?! He said I was the only one!"
"Did the Boss actually say that?"
"Anyway, it's too much!"
Perhaps some of her anger was flowing into the pot, because the speed at which she stirred the ladle was gradually increasing. The thick liquid inside began to swirl, forming a vortex that threatened to rise like a waterspout.
"Why?! Rene doesn't understand why only females are entering the Primordial Core!"
Just as the accelerating ladle was about to give birth to a 'liquid dragon,' Rene let go with a sullen expression.
Splat.
The thick liquid splashed onto Patrick's skull. He pulled a cloth from his chest to wipe it off, but a dark scorch mark had already been seared into the bone. The mark was so deep it would probably last for at least a few days.
"Well, what can we do if the two strongest happen to be sisters?"
As expected, her reaction was exactly what he had anticipated. Melju would probably feel just as burdened. After all, Melju would see the Yakshas as rivals threatening her rank even before seeing them as love rivals. In any case, both of them must be troubled.
"There's no need to be too anxious. It hasn't been decided for sure that they'll become our allies," Patrick said in a soothing voice. He had no intention of blindly showing favor to the Yakshas just because they promised to help. Especially after the Hexabel incident, they had to be wary of any guests approaching the Primordial Core.
Did they have other motives? If not, were they qualified to enter? What was their leadership like? How many subordinates could they command?
"There's a lot we need to find out... and to be blunt, we might part ways soon after meeting. We don't know when the humans will come."
Monitoring the continent's movements these past few days, things were highly suspicious. In particular, the movements of 'Rium,' the nation of beastkin, were unusual. As a nation closely intertwined with the Empire, they seemed to be reacting sensitively to the fall of Riaze.
"Rene is just worried about the worst-case scenario. I would never want our new comrades to get hurt or die."
Only then did Rene smile softly, as if feeling a bit relieved. Hearing her words, Patrick's gaze returned to the pot.
"Then what is this?"
"It's Rene's special meal for the sisters, who must be tired from their long journey!"
"Didn't you just say you didn't want them to die?"
Was she planning to turn them into half-corpses the moment they arrived? Indeed, with that mysterious liquid, physically eliminating a love rival seemed all too easy. If that was the most certain method, then so be it. Patrick fell silent. If he nitpicked any further, he felt he might end up tasting it himself.
"By the way, they're late. If they take too long, the soup will spoil, and I'll have to throw it away."
Please, take your time.
As Rene spoke, Patrick counted the days in his head. Since he had commissioned the Leprechaun Merchant Guild to accompany the Yakshas, they were probably close by now. Judging by the distance, they would likely arrive in about three days.
"They'll be here soon," Patrick muttered. "More importantly, I hear the atmosphere among the monsters has been quite restless lately. I hope they arrive quietly, without any trouble."
He spoke as if to himself. He wasn't particularly worried.
After all, they weren't coming alone. The merchant guild was with them.
*
It was exactly five days after the fall of Riaze that the Leprechaun Merchant Guild received the summons from the Primordial Core.
The call came the very day after the Merchant Union had submitted an appeal to Swallow. It was as if they had been summoned the instant he saw the appeal.
While numerous merchant guilds were trembling in fear, the member who responded to the summons and set out was, of course, Scobina.
When she risked her life to travel to the Primordial Core, Swallow, Rene, and Patrick were sitting around a table, waiting for her.